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huladancer_gw

Crack over entryway

huladancer
9 years ago

Hi,

We recently had a bunch of dry rot repair done on our house. As a result of all the work, we need to paint the interior and exterior of our home. We would like to paint the interior ourselves to save some money, but a lot of prep work needs to be done first. For instance, we have a a large crack over our entryway into the dining room. My father-in-law thinks I should fill it with caulk, but from what I've been reading I need to use a fiberglass mesh tape and then fill with joint compound. Any ideas? Our walls are plaster.

Thanks!

Comments (6)

  • PRO
    Christopher Nelson Wallcovering and Painting
    9 years ago

    It certainly needs taped and mudded but I would use paper tape, not fiberglass

  • huladancer
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    What about the cracks below my window sill? Should these be taped as well or can I get away with painting over it? Also, if I tape over the cracks, I assume I need to put primer over it, but do I need to put primer on the entire wall?

  • Faron79
    9 years ago

    Some more ?'s for ya!

    1) How old is the home?
    2) Are all the flaws on exterior walls?
    3) What state do ya live in?
    4) What sides of home have the worst cracking?
    5) What's ABOVE the affected walls; bedrooms, bathrooms, cold attic, etc.

    I just wanna get a fuller picture of each walls "environment"!

    Plaster can be a little temperamental sometimes!

    Faron

  • huladancer
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Home was built in the 50's.
    We live in California.
    Cracks are contained to our interior dining room which face the south.
    There is nothing above the affected walls - just the roof.
    Unfortunately, I suspect the window sill with the cracked paint below may also be rotting out, but we won't be able to take care of it until next year. We just had all the dry rot fixed on the west/east sides of the house.

  • huladancer
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Btw, the dining room window sill with the cracked paint below gets direct sunlight most of the day and has a partial ocean view.

  • paintguy22
    9 years ago

    It looks like one of those areas that will continue to keep cracking (I can still see the patch from the last person). Caulk is a great idea but for big cracks, it needs to be patched. I would use tape, but when you do, you will need to float the mud out to disguise that tape was used. Even then, this crack may still reappear and it may have nothing to do with rotting...houses move, wood shrinks and expands, the earth is constantly rotating yadda yadda.